1 Rewrite sentences a-f, keeping the same meaning, but using another form of comparative.

Example I’m worse at remembering faces than I am at remembering names.

I’m not as good at remembering faces as I am at remembering names.

My best friend drives more slowly than I do.

The weather is cooler in the autumn.

Air tickets are getting less and less expensive.

In my opinion, this exercise isn’t as easy as it looks.

This school isn’t as big as I remember it.

Our local shops are further than we’d like them to be.

2 Complete these sentences in an appropriate way.

The richer people become, ...

The better I got to know him, ...

The colder the weather becomes, ...

The more we use cars rather than public transport ...

... , the more tired I get.

3 Use the prompts in a-e to write superlative questions with most or least.

Example frightening experience/have

What’s the most frightening experience you’ve ever had?

dangerous thing/do

interesting place/visit

attractive person/meet

expensive present/buy

exciting enjoyable safe

Conditionals

1 Correct the mistakes in the underlined clauses in a-d and name the type of conditional (zero, 1st, 2nd or 3rd).

If I would win the lottery, I’d buy an enormous plasma television.

If you give me a blank CD, I burn the album onto it for you.

If you’ll press this key, it sends the text message.

If I knew it was illegal, I wouldn’t have downloaded all those songs.

2 Write a question for events a-f using the first or second conditional.

Example go out this evening

Improbable - Where would you go if you went out this evening?

Probable - Where will you go if you go out this evening?

win the lottery

go to the cinema at the weekend

visit the UK this summer

surf the Internet at the weekend

lose your mobile phone

not have any homework this evening

3 Write sentences using the third conditional as in the example.

Example I missed the bus so I was late for my class.

If I hadn’t missed the bus, I wouldn’t have been late for my class.

a I bought a new MP3 player because I lost my old one.

b I didn’t know you liked opera, so I didn’t buy you a ticket.

с The burglar got in because I forgot to shut the window.

d Carl didn’t buy the computer because it was so expensive.

e I couldn’t find your number so I couldn’t phone you.

4 Complete sentences a-f with mixed conditionals.

Example Harry didn’t go to the party because he’s getting up early tomorrow.

Harry would have gone to the party if he weren’t getting up early tomorrow.

a We have to walk to school because the car has broken down.

__________________if the car hadn’t broken down.

b I won’t speak to him because he was so rude to me.

I would speak to him _______________________.

с I’m not interested in how this mobile works, so I didn’t read the manual.

If I’d been interested in how this mobile works, ____________________.

d You didn’t listen to the instructions so you don’t know what to do.

__________________, you’d know what to do.

e I’m annoyed because he borrowed my laptop without asking me first.

__________________ if he hadn’t borrowed my laptop without asking.

f The sea isn’t very warm so we didn’t go swimming.

__________________ we’d have gone swimming.

Vocabulary

Mental activities

1 Match a-j with 1-10 to form definitions of the verbs in italics.

a If you suspect something is true ...

b If you consider someone to be attractive ...

c If you doubt something that you’ve heard ...

d If you recollect an experience ...

e If you contemplate your future ...

f If you analyse a problem ...

g If you memorise a number ...

h If you can’t comprehend something ...

I If somebody reminds you of another person ...

j If an idea occurs to you ...

1 you think about it in a logical way.

2 you think it probably isn’t true.

3 you learn it so that you won’t forget it.

4 that is your opinion.

5 they make you think of that other person.

6 you think about it for quite a long time.

7 it comes into your mind suddenly.

8 you think it might be true but you aren’t sure.

9 you don’t understand it.

10 you think about it at a later date.

Answers:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

2 Choose the correct verbs in italics to complete a-e.

I often sit and contemplate/recollect the meaning of life, but I doubt/suspect I’ll ever find any answers!

It reminded/occurred to me last night that I usually like people who remind/recollect me of my parents.

Until then, she had always considered/contemplated him a very logical person who could analyse/contemplate any situation.

She says that she has recollected/memorised 10,000 telephone numbers, but I strongly suspect/doubt that she’s lying.

I recollect/memorise seeing snow for the first time when I was three years old; I couldn’t consider/comprehend what was happening.

Answers:

a

b

c

d

e

3 Rewrite sentences a-i using the verbs in the box inthe correct form, and making any other necessarychanges to the sentences.

suspect

analyse

consider comprehend

contemplate doubt

memorise occur

recollect remind

Example

I’ve always thought that he didn’t like me.

I’ve always suspected that he didn’t like me.

John makes me think of a friend I had at school.

I don’t think we will win the World Cup.

In my opinion, he’s very impolite.

For homework my daughter had to learn a Shakespeare poem by heart.

He’s thinking carefully about resigning and looking for another job.

We need to think logically about the results of the experiment.

Can you remember exactly what he said?

I suddenly thought of the answer in the bath.

It’s difficult to understand why she wants a divorce.

Listening

(CD 2, tape 09)

Multiple matching

1 You will hear five people talking about their dreams. Choose from the list A-F the things that each person dreams about. Use the letters only once. There is one extra letter.

A things going wrong

B animals

C ordinary, everyday events

D unconnected events

E very recent events

F strangers

Speaker 1

Speaker 2

Speaker 3

Speaker 4

Speaker 5

1

2

3

4

5

2 Complete the verb + preposition expressions that the speakers use. Then listen again and check your answers.

Speaker 1 I sometimes make…… more interesting dreams.

Speaker 2 Things normally work …… better in my dreams.

Speaker 3 I know I’m messing things……, but I can’t help it.

Speaker 4 If I came…… somebody from my dream, I’d be terrified.

Speaker 5 My brother is always going…… about his dreams.

Answers:

1

2

3

4

5

Use of English

Word formation

noun suffixes

We can add suffixes to verbs or adjectives to make nouns. Sometimes the spelling changes.

verb

→

noun

express

-(t)ion

expression

dominate

domination

manage

-ment

management

excite

excitement

adjective

→

noun

happy

-ness

happiness

weak

weakness

similar

-ity

similarity

popular

popularity

1 Add a suffix to each of the underlined words in a-g to make a noun that completes the second sentence.

Example They donated a lot of money to Oxfam.

They made a big donation to Oxfam.My boss thinks it’s very important to be punctual.

My boss thinks______ is very important.

The police are investigating the crime.

The police are carrying out an ______ into the crime.

My secretary has resigned. I need to find someone to replace her.

My secretary has resigned. I need to find a ______ for her.

Unlike many superstars, she’s well known for being polite.

Unlike many superstars, she’s well known for her ______.

My brother is very sensitive to other people’s feelings.

My brother shows a great deal of _____ to other people’s feelings.

Do you enjoy watching reality TV shows?

Do you get a lot of ______ from watching reality TV shows?

Mick is responsible for organising the Christmas party.

Mick has ______ for organising the Christmas party.

Answers:

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

2 Complete the text below using words formed from the base words in 1-10.

0

regular

4

difficult

8

surprise

1

invite

5

sincere

9

equal

2

arrange

6

commit

10

sense

3

psychology

7

participate

WHY DO WE OVER-COMIT?

Most people (0) regularly over-commit. How often do we agree to meet friends, accept (1)……, or offer to help a family member, only to realise that in making the (2)…… we've been too generous with our time? (3)…… believe that we 'over-commit' because we have (4)…… judging how much time there is available. We fill our diaries with things to do, (5)…… believing that we'll have more time in the future than we have in the present. Of course, when tomorrow turns into today, we discover that we are too busy to fulfil all of the (6)…… that we've made. The nature of time deceives us and we 'forget' about how things fill our days and compete for our time. Nearly all the (7)…… in a survey believed that they would have more free time next month than now. When questioned a month later, they were (8)…… to find that they were (9)…… busy. So next time a distant cousin suggests a get- together, or you are invited to three parties in the week before Christmas, try to think ahead and consider whether it would be more (10)…… to be less generous with your time.